The Daily News TUESDAY, JUNE 9. A UNITED TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 144, 9 June 1908, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, JUNE 9. A UNITED TARANAKI.

One passage in the able address delivered by the chairman of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce on Friday nignt ullered a suggestion that we hope to see carried to fruition, lie suggested that the Chamber should confer with all the Taranaki members before Hie lloiismeets, in order that, on the urgent wants of the province, the members may present a united front in Parliament. We presume it is not suggested that the Taranaki Chamber alone should accept the responsibility of deciding, with the members, what are the most prcs-inglv reipiired works in I lie province for which a fair share in the division of the available public money is required. We would suggest that the Chamber invite, also, representatives of the kindred Chambers and Tradesmen's Associations within the province, in order that each district's leading reijuirements may be fully discussed with the inemliers of Parliament. The loading question, naturally, is the most vital one in Taranaki. The development of this province is being retarded by the want of arterial roads from our railway line through the bacK country, and trade that should legitimately belong to our towns is being surely diverted to other channels by the more rapid progress of road and rail facilities to the hinterland of Taranaki from Wellington and Auckland.

We have (he Tongahoe road from llawera, the liawhitiroa road from Klthaiii, the East road from Stratford, the Junction road from Pnrangi, and the Moki road as New Plymouth's direct connection with the inland districts—all more or less in a state oi non-completion, and all urgently in need of more rapid progression. While excellent progress, comparatively speaking, has been made during the past year on the Rawhitiroa and Fast roads, much more might be done in the interests of settlement and in the interests of the province as a whole. The .Moki road, however, has b.'cn much less fortunate, and is now in a deplorable condition, unsafe even for travelling sto'k. this road, which provides the shortest route, by many miles, from Wlnngamoniona and the back country gcuenlly to the freezing works at Wait.na. is to our mind one of the most pressing requirements of the settlers out |„yk. By its non-completion, the raising of stock, for which our back country is pre-eniinentlv adapted, is being prejudiciallv all.Tled and the prosperity 'of the setllers hampered. Although proper bridges have b.-en erected along the route of this so-called road, little of the road has been improved bevond the sixfoot track stage of evolution, and but little ell'oit has been made to even ke-p the track open. The erv from the set Hers served bv the Moki road is equal ly applicable to the condition of settlement on the far-back reaches of til-.' other roads mentioned. In the matter alone of these main roads, therefore, there is plenty of scope for a confer,cnoe such as has been suggested, and we have little reason to doubt that complete unanimity amongst the provincial members of Parliament regarding essential loading requirements would not be without its effect on the (iovernnient in framing the estimates.

In the matter of railway requirements, also, there is room for a more complete and definite understanding amongst our members of Parliament. The necessity that the Stratford Ongaruhe line should Ibis y,. ; ,r receive a vote such a- will give evidence of the Covcrnmcnt's sincerity for iU spced.v construction is the province's principal railway requirement. The Opiiuako railway question, irrespective of the question of routes I which the Oovernmeirt must now be left to decide), should claim the attention of all the Taranaki members when the Oovcniment is framing its railway programme after the Main Trunk line is oil' the borrowing list. Complete unanimity amongst the members in urging upon the (iovonimcnt fair treatment for these works is absolutely e~cntia. if the best rc-nlts are to be achieved.

There is another question that sooner or later will become one of provincial importance and one that might well lie discussed at a conference such as has been suggested. We refer to the relatively unfair statistical comparisons made against Taranaki in regard to the otlier provincial districts of the Dominion. To cite only one instance, we have the alleged educational statistics of this province occasionally blazoned forth to our disparagement in attempts to substantiate allegations of childslavery. It. is forgotten by these detractors that the Taranaki Education Hoard docs not control anything like the whole of the schools within the jiro- [ vincial district, and that, indeed, the best of the schools—those, at any rate, where the standard age is lowest—are I'iKler the control of the Wanganui Board. We have no hesitation in affirming that were such schools as, for instance, Kltham, Kaponga, Jlawera, l'atea. Normaiiby, and Manaia included in their rightful education district, the statistics would, so far as comparison'; with otlier provinces are possible, place most of them in the position that unfairly is assigned at present to Taranaki. Although the educational facilities olfering in Taranaki are not excelled by any provincial Board in the colony, this province does not get credit for possessing them, and as a couseipicnce wrong impressions are formed by outsiders Unit cannot fail to have other than a prejudicial elicit. The Education Hoard is not singular iu not being truly representative of the province, mid we merely mentioned i! to draw attention to a'position of nll'iiivs that is not ill tin: best intcresls of Taranaki's progress.

When almost every part of the Dominion. esjK'eiallv this .Island, is crying out for settlement and labor, it is essential that the inducements oll'eriiig should lie given iu the fairest possible light. In this respect Taranaki is ham pored by ic:.;oii of encroachments on its legitimate territory. The Circater New Plymouth >chcmc is practically on all fours with what we biggest regarding the province. 'Jhe area of the hoiougn is one of the smallest in the colony, and the population within the area consequently limited. As a result, New Plymouth lxirough is officially stated to have a population of about six thou sand, whereas the population of tlie town, including the closely-settled extension*, is between eight and nine thousand. Naturally the importance of the town, to the uninitiated at any rate, is seriously discounted. The time has arrived when this province, possessing, as it does, in pre-eminent degree a community of interests unapproached elsewhere, should assert itself, and we trust that the Chamber of Commerce siigge-tion will be acted upon, thus paving Ihe wav for a provincial policy that has been 100 long delayed.